Hotels are no longer simply places to hang your hat and sleep for a night, nor indeed are they just holiday venues. The world’s premier architects are turning modern-day hotels into cultural landmarks in their own right.
Now, no longer are hotels simple storeys of identical rooms. They are unique architectural statements, each telling their own story through their design and cultural surroundings. Staying in one of these hotels is an experience you won’t soon forget, so without further ado, here are some of the most amazing hotel designs you can find around the world.
Yas Viceroy Hotel
Where is it?
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
How many rooms does it have?
499
About the hotel
Putting aside the beautiful and unique architecture of this hotel for a moment, the main claim to fame that Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi Hotel has is that it is the first hotel in the world to be built over a Formula 1 racing circuit. That alone would put it in the top tier of any “world’s coolest hotel” list.
However, this is a list of impressive architectural designs and the Yas Viceroy has that in spades. Designed by Hani Rashid and Lise Anne Couture of Asympote Architecture, the building is comprised of two twelve-storey towers linked together by a steel and glass bridge.
The most striking thing about the hotel’s design is the 200-metre-plus sweeping glass and steel shell covering the construction. It boasts LED lighting that transmits videos and displays over more than 5,300 LED panes.
Life Marina
Where is it?
Ibiza, Spain
How many rooms does it have?
N/A
About the hotel
This set of luxury apartments in Ibiza is one of the most striking and modern Mediterranean locations that one can stay in. In the heart of the beautiful island of Ibiza, the building was designed by John Nouvel.
Nouvel is one of the most decorated architects of the modern era with a host of titles and awards to his name. The buildings surround a vast shared swimming pool and each has a hundred-metre-squared living area, outside jacuzzi, terraces and all the other usual amenities.
Each apartment has two bedrooms and two bathrooms with a luxurious décor and a free bottle of wine upon arrival – as if you needed to sweeten the deal any further!
The Luxor Hotel
Where is it?
Las Vegas, United States
How many rooms does it have?
4,407
About the hotel
The Luxor Las Vegas hotel and casino looms imposingly over the southern side of the infamous Las Vegas Strip, a road that contains 14 of the world’s 25 largest hotels by room count. Recently renovated in 2008/9, the Luxor is the ninth-largest in the world.
Named for the ancient city of Luxor, it was the tallest building on the trip when it opened in 1993. The hotel is in the shape of an Egyptian pyramid, boasting 30 storeys and 4,407 rooms with a gigantic Egyptian sphinx before the entrance.
Naturally, being a hotel on the Vegas Strip owned by MGM, the Luxor also boasts an impressive casino with a wealth of games. This includes more than 2,000 slot machines and 87 table games, so if you’re going to stay at the Luxor you should take some time to brush up on your skills at online casinos – who knows, you might even pay for your trip that way!
Perhaps the most famous attraction of the Luxor, however, is the infamous Luxor Sky Beam. This, shining from the very top of the Luxor’s pyramid structure, is the brightest beam of light in the world, visible up to 443 km away by aircraft cruising over Los Angeles.
Belmond Villa San Michele
Where is it?
Florence, Italy
How many rooms does it have?
46
About the hotel
Originally a monastery founded in the early fifteenth century, this building and its lands were donated by a Florentine family. The present building’s façade was designed by Michelangelo, which gives it perhaps the most famous architect of all the hotels on this list!
Located in the heart of Fiesole, the hotel boasts an outdoor pool and health club as well as a selection of bars, lounges and restaurants. At just two floors, it’s the smallest hotel on this list, but when we’re discussing hotel architecture, how could we leave it out?
In the 1950s the villa was badly damaged before being renovated and then purchased as a hotel in 1982. It was renamed the Belmond Villa San Michele in 2014, and continues to operate as a luxury Florentine hotel.
